Your source for the latest news on Rutgers football, basketball, and other sports

Menu

Kyle Flood postpractice transcript

“Update on (Paul James). We’ll get a full injury report on Sunday. From talking to the doctors and trainers and talking to P.J., he will be out for the Houston game. But possibly back for the game after that. He is progressing in a pretty good fashion. He will be on schedule. We’ll re-evaluate him on Sunday (Oct. 27) and see if he will be ready to go for the game after that. I would be very optimistic that past that he will be back. But I think there is a possibility still that he will back for the Temple game.”

WHEN CAN YOU START TO WORK HIM INTO PRACTICE?

“I don’t think until a week from Sunday at the earliest.”

BUT YOU WOULD WANT TO PRACTICE THE FULL WEEK BEFORE THE TEMPLE GAME IF HE WAS TO PLAY AGAINST TEMPLE?

“I don’t know that. I think we’d have to make that decision as the week goes on.”

YOU WILL EVALUATE HIM EVERY DAY FROM THERE ON JUST TO SEE HOW HE IS DOING?

“I think we have to. We have to make sure that he is ready to go and ready to do all the things we’re going to ask him to do in the game. If he is, we certainly would want him back. If he is not, then we don’t. We’ve got other good players on the team and they’ll have to do it.”

IT SOUNDS LIKE HE HASN’T HAD ANY SETBACKS IN HIS REHAB, RIGHT?

“Not that I know of. It seems like everything is progressing at a good pace. We’ll re-evaluate it a week from Sunday and see what we think we can get out of him.”

MOVING AHEAD, IS IT THE SAME PLAN WITH SAVON HUGGINS AND JUSTIN GOODWIN?

“Correct.”

IS SAVON STILL GOING TO START THE NEXT GAME?

“We’ll decide that next week. I would anticipate seeing both guys within the first three series of the game. Whoever starts the game, we haven’t decided that just yet.”

GARY NOVA WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW AFTER THE KENT STATE GAME LAST YEAR HE WAS PRESSING A BIT. WHAT DO YOU SEE FROM HIM TO KNOW THAT THIS YEAR’S SECOND HALF WON’T BE A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S?

“Handling the positives of being a player or a coach is similar to handling the negatives. There are different scenarios that come up every year that you have to learn as you go to be able to handle those things. Whatever it was, whether it was positive or negative, if you didn’t respond the way you wanted to, usually if you stick around this business long enough as a player or coach, you’re going to get another opportunity to respond to something similar. If Gary feels like he didn’t make the decisions he wanted to make in the last game, as a player one of the most important things you do is turn the page.”

WITH THE GUYS HAVING OFF FOR A FEW DAYS, DO YOU GIVE THEM ANY MESSAGE?

“They’re not off yet. We won’t practice tomorrow b ut we will do some things with lifting and study halls and a recovery circuit to make sure that we get our bodies in position to move forward with the rest of the season because it’s a long season. When you play 12 games, three bye weeks, it gets stretched out pretty good. You’ve got to train the younger players to take care of their bodies through the season. Any break you get is an opportunity to come back healthier. I think we’ve done that as a football team. I feel good about where we are. But I think it’s also important for the players on this football team to understand that for all the privileges that come with being a major college football player also come the responsibilities. Your social life cannot be the same social life as the normal student at Rutgers. The normal student at Rutgers is not going to be asked to do the same things as physically demanding on their body as we’re going to ask them to do during a football season.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS A BYE WEEK FOR YOUNGER GUYS TO DO DEVELOPMENT INSTEAD OF GAME PREP?

“I think you have to take advantage of them as they come. Last year they were equally spaced. This year it’s not quite as equally spaced. We don’t control that. If you have to take advantage of the time because you can’t predict where you’re going to be as a football team when you get to the bye week from a football standpoint or from a health standpoint. So for every player maybe the bye week means something a little differently. For (Anthony) Cioffi and (Nadir) Barnwell and (Justin) Goodwin, that are playing significant time now or have a significantly different role than maybe they had at the beginning of the year, I think this could be a real advantage for them.”

WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE GARY NOVA-BRANDON COLEMAN CONNECTION?

“I don’t ever see it that way. I’ve been asked questions about Nova to (Quron) Pratt, Nova to (Leonte) Carroo, Nova to (Brandon) Coleman and Nova to (Tyler) Kroft at some point. Brandon Coleman is a consistent performer for us. When the read dictates that the ball comes his way, we have full confidence that he’s going to catch it. That’s what’s important to me. That the quarterback goes through his progression and when the receiver gets their opportunities that they take advantage of it.”

DOES IT SEEM LIKE FOREVER SINCE YOU PLAYED A HOME GAME?

“It’s a unique schedule. There is no doubt. To have a bye week, then two road games in five days, then another bye week is certainly a unique schedule. But we are certainly looking forward to being back home a week from Saturday.”

About Ryan Dunleavy

Ryan Dunleavy has covered Rutgers athletics for more than a decade, dating back to his days as a student at his alma mater. He became New Jersey Press Media’s Rutgers women’s basketball beat writer in 2009 and Rutgers football beat writer in 2013. Since joining the staff in 2004, the Morris County native also has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, the Somerset Patriots and high school sports.

The search is over. After Jay Young moved on to take the Fairfield Stags head coaching spot, Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell had a major hole to fill on his assistant coaching staff. And while it seems like Pikiell did his due diligence interviewing for the position, he didn’t have to go far to fill it. […]

As East coast temperatures continue to rise, so do expectations for next season We are just now arriving at Memorial Day weekend, but the optimism around the Rutgers men’s basketball program is already in full bloom. Next season is the most anticipated in many years and postseason aspirations are warranted. Entering year four of the […]